Men's Basketball

Sheryl Sousa, Day 8 and 9: The metropolitan city of Zagreb, and the tour winds down

Aug 23, 2012

August 23

We spent yesterday touring Zagreb, the capital city of
Croatia. We had a local guide who took us though the sights in the
morning and then we had the afternoon on our own to explore the
city.

Zagreb is the center of Croatia culturally, economically
and politically. It is the home to many museums, a cathedral, a
huge farmer's market, a very cool tram system for public
transportation and many, many cafes. I don't have much to
compare it to, but Zagreb seemed to exemplify what I think of when
I think of Eastern European, while our time on the coast felt more
Mediterranean. The buildings throughout the city show
the Austria-Hungarian influence, compared to the Greek- and
Roman-feelings I got from our time in the smaller cities.

Most of the buildings in Croatia, including Zagreb, have
red tile roofs. In touring the city it was hard not to notice
the different shades of red tiles, marking the old tiles and new
tiles. The roofs with many new tiles had been bombed during
the war and later replaced. All of us on the trip have been
keenly aware of the challenging past Croatia has endured. We have
learned much about their many different rulers and most recent
Homeland war which ended only twenty years ago. Without knowing the
history, Zagreb looks like any other major city, but understanding
their past gives us a greater appreciation for them as a nation.

In the afternoon, after visiting a couple of museums, a
small group of us sat at a cafe in the center of downtown.
Cafes in Croatia are everywhere. It is very much part of the
culture to sit, relax and enjoy coffee, tea and the company of your
friends. We sat for hours, talking and watching the people
moving around us. At one point, a street band set up near us
and began to play jazz music. They were excellent, and only
added to the wonderful atmosphere. It was a great way to spent the
afternoon, sitting, with friends, in the heart of this vibrant city
soaking up its culture and being a part of the
scene.

August 24

It has been very hot here - 100 degrees the last couple of
days - so today we made a day trip to the coast. We traveled
to Crikvenica, which our local boys kept refering to as the
"Hampton Beach" of Croatia. There was a large boardwalk with
shops, pizza, ice cream, t-shirts for sale, stuff like that.
But the surroundings were beautiful. New Hampshire is nice, but
this was something else, with mountains in the distance, and the
ever-wonderful Adriatic.

We pack up tonight and begin our journey home tomorrow
morning. It has been a fantastic trip and I am grateful to
have had this experience. I'm proud of the men on our
basketball team. They are complete gentlemen - respectful and
very polite - and they are also a lot of fun to be around, a cast
of characters. I'm looking forward to when I can travel with
them again.